1 - 18 Jan. 2004

Madonna endorses Wes Clark

I've never done this before. But life is about taking risks is it not?

I know that people seem to pay attention to everything I do. Big or Small. Ridiculous or Sublime. So I am hoping they pay attention to this:

I am supporting General Wesley Clark for President.

Not only as a "celebrity" but as an American citizen and as a mother. I want my children to grow up with the same opportunities that I had - to know and understand what's going on in the world and to travel that world safely and with pride.

Now I'm asking you to join me.

I am writing to you because the future I wish for my children is at risk.

Our greatest risk is not terrorism and it's not Iraq or the "Axis of Evil." Our greatest risk is a lack of leadership, a lack of honesty and a complete lack of consciousness. Unfortunately our current government cannot see the big picture. They think too small. They suffer from the "what's in it for me?" syndrome. The simple truth is that the current administration has squandered incredible opportunities to bring the world together, to promote peace in regions that have only known war, to encourage health in places that are ravaged with disease, to make us more secure by living up to our principles at home and abroad. The simple truth is that the policies of our current administration do not reflect what is great about America.

Thankfully, there is now a candidate running for President who is committed to ensuring that our country lives up to its promise and its people. He is a decorated soldier and a respected diplomatic leader, who has already given 34 years to his country. He is smart and he is good. He has worked hard to get where he is and he is a national hero.

A perfect example of the American Dream.

I've never aligned myself with a presidential candidate during the primary season. But this time, the stakes are too high, we have too much to lose and there is so much work to be done.

I'm supporting General Wesley Clark in 2004 and have committed to do all that I can to help his campaign in the coming months. I ask you to visit his website today to learn about his candidacy, his vision for our nation and the many ways you can get involved.

I've looked at all the Democratic candidates. I respect them all for their dedication and patriotism. But I'm supporting Wes Clark because in him I see the qualifications, character and vision that we so desperately need.

We are a country with incredible promise. As Americans we enjoy opportunities like no other. Unfortunately we take these opportunities for granted. You may not agree with everything I say or do, but whether you're rich or poor, young or old, black or white, gay or straight, I know you share my concern and recognize the need for change.

Even if you've never been involved with politics before, please consider joining with me. If you can give, give generously. If you can volunteer time, get involved now. And if you can vote, this time... make sure you do.

Wesley Clark has asked for my support and now I'm asking for yours

Madonna

PS: Please spread this message to everyone you know.

Throughout my career I have worked hard to recruit and promote women in our armed forces and in business. And I was proud to see more and more women move up the ranks. Because the wider the military opened its doors, the stronger it got. That's why I will work hard to expand the number of women-owned businesses, break through the glass ceiling that keeps women from and eliminate the pay gap between men and women. I will start with my Administration by ensuring that women are in leadership roles in the White House.

• Equal economic opportunity.
  Opportunity starts with jobs-which is why I want to repeal Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy and invest $100 billion in a job creation plan. But we also need to make sure that women have equal opportunities in the workplace. I think we need to take proactive steps to do that. As a start, we need to eliminate the pay gap. Until women in this country earn 100 cents on the dollar - all of us are being shortchanged.

• Tax Fairness:
  We need a tax code that values work and family, not one that provides large tax breaks for the wealthiest who need them least. My plan will restore progressivity to the tax code, relieve the working family squeeze, and reduce poverty. The cornerstone of my tax reform plan is simple: families of four making under $50,000 will not have to pay a single penny in federal income tax. And all families with children making under $100,000 will get a tax cut. Finally my tax reform plan will simplify the tax process, eliminating dozens of pages of forms and boiling down hundreds of pages of the tax code down to one easy-to-use form.

• Protect and Support families.
  Americans, women and men, are the hardest and most dedicated workers in the world-and it seems like we're working longer and longer hours. I understand the pressure that puts on families. During my time in the Army I learned that a soldier, woman or man, didn't perform to his or her full potential when they were worried about their family or kids. That's why I am going to work with employers and employees to make sure that we are getting American workers the flexibility they need-including child care, paid leave to take care of sick loved ones, and elder care-to be productive and take care of their families.

• Reproductive freedom.
  I'm pro-choice. The government has no business coming between a woman, her family, and her doctor in making such a personal, private decision. Every woman deserves complete information and access to birth control so that families can be planned and so that every child is a wanted child. I will oppose measures that interfere with the ability of woman and her doctors to make choices about her reproductive health.

• Affordable health care.
  My health care plan would make insurance for everyone more affordable, and help families make sure their children, up to age 22, have coverage.

• Education.
  We need to invest in education and our future, America's children. If we really want to leave no child behind, then we've got to put our money where our mouth is by working to reform and fully fund No Child Left Behind and expanding access to earl childhood education. Real education reform needs to start in pre-school and continue through college.

• Fighting Violence Against Women.
  I am for significantly stepping up our efforts to fight violence against women. Because sexual assault and domestic violence are human rights violations, plain and simple. I stood up for human rights in Bosnia. I stood up for human rights in Kosovo. And I'll stand up for human rights here in the United States of America.

Wes Clark is committed to:

1. Equal Economic Opportunity for Women by increasing penalties for employers that discriminate against women, investing in job training for women, aggressively addressing the pay gap, and increasing the minimum wage to keep pace with the cost of living.

2. Putting Families First by implementing a tax plan that gives a tax break to families with children with an income of $100,000 or less, and lifts all federal taxes from families of four with an income up to $50,000. Also, implementing a jobs plan that devotes $100 billion over two years to jumpstart job creation without increasing the deficit.

3. Ensuring Reproductive rights and reproductive health by supporting Roe v. Wade, supporting legislation to cover FDA-approved prescription contraceptive drugs/devices, and appointing judges who will uphold laws protecting women's reproductive rights.

4. Ensuring the safety of all Americans by re-engaging with our international allies, investing $40 billion to close the gaps in America's homeland security, and enforcing existing gun laws.

5. Improving our health care by making insurance more affordable for everyone, supporting equal funding for gender-based health research on diseases that disproportionately affect women and girls, continuing the fight on AIDS by substantially increasing AIDS funding, and supporting passage of the Human Cloning Ban and the Stem Cell Research Protection Act.

6. Protecting our civil rights by supporting affirmative action, ensuring that discrimination laws include gender and sexual orientation, and calling on Congress to review each provision of the Patriot Act and eliminate those provisions that unduly threaten our civil liberties.

7. Improving our education by providing pre-school access, investing resources to expand Head Start, and implementing the Universal College Grant to help students with a family income less than $100,000.

8. Protecting our seniors by working to improve and expand our system for long-term care, maintain the current retirement age, and not privatize social security.

9. Supporting our families by expanding paid family leave, making child care affordable for everyone, and lifting 2 million children out of poverty by 2008.

10. Protecting our environment by vigorously enforcing all clean air and clean water laws, by reversing the Bush administration's cutbacks in environmental investigations, funding, and enforcement.

By Joanna Weiss, Globe Staff, 1/12/2004

After an initial reluctance to be a public figure, Gert Clark has become a fixture in her husband's campaign. (Globe Staff Photo / Janet Knott)

DOVER, N.H. -- It was a far cry from the quiet post-military life she once imagined. Gert Clark was wrapped in an overcoat in the frigid New Hampshire air, in front of a crowd of Arkansans huddled in the cold. They had come to cheer their hometown candidate, retired Army general Wesley K. Clark. But it wasn't long before their chants turned to the woman beside him with white-blonde hair: "Gert! Gert! Gert! Gert!"

By ccobb
Posted to ccobb's weblog on Tue Jan 6th, 2004 at 01:10:59 AM EST

Wes III couldn't make it, so he sent his father instead.

A raise of hands showed that for at least half of the attendees, this was their first meetup. Another raise of hands showed that maybe 1/4 were there to research the general and hadn't made up their minds yet. I think they are still there, surrounded by helpful true believers answering questions they are not even asking yet.

As for the crowd, I stopped counting at about 70 because Wes popped up for a Q&A session. In the end we may have had somewhere between 75 and 90. During the Q&A, a lot of basic questions were asked and answered (Shelton? Health Care? Tax reform?). But Wes also shared some interesting anecdotes that I thought you would like to hear too:

A great line: "You can't have a democracy with secrecy." Basic, but powerful.

Schwatzkopff retraction (never knew him) - added 19 Jan. 2004

Wes mentioned that Schwarzkopf tried to get the General kicked off the West Point debate team. Makes me assume that Schwartzy's current animus goes back to college frat boy stuff.

When the General was exploring whether or not he should run, he came to LA and met with a number of media people. Warren Beatty walked out of the meeting saying 'I don't think he's got it. He doesn't have a big enough ego.'

During the General's testimony in The Hague, Milosevic used Shelton's quote smearing Clark's character and integrity to impugn the General's testimony. The prosecutor Carla de la Ponte called Shelton to confirm and to evaluate whether he should come to testify on Milosevic's behalf. Shelton backpedaled, saying it was 'just politics.'

Wes answered a question about what a family meant in the General's tax plan as 'a mother, a father and two kids; or a mother, a mother and two kids; or a mother and two kids--whoever lives in a joint domicile,' making it clear he did not think that orientation or marital status were the defining issues. I'm sure that more clarity will come as we go along. The question I didn't ask but wanted to was: can dogs count as kids?

When asked what moment made him most proud of his dad, Wes thought for a moment, and then said he was really proud when his father went down that cliff to save those folks in his caravan. There he was, 50-something, charging down a cliff towards a burning armored car as ammo exploded around him from the heat and fire. The way Wes summed that moment up was that he was most proud because his dad was the right man at the right time doing the right thing. A lot of heads nodded. It was a nice moment, because we could tell that Wes was also proud that his dad was doing the same thing today by running for president.

I am a skeptic by nature, but found myself impressed. I am a longtime convert to the General; in fact I'm a Draft Clarkie. But it certainly helped to watch and weigh Wes II's words. Much as I hate to judge one person by another, Wes II didn't come out of a vacuum; he was raised well, is obviously smart, and had a common touch with no pretension to him whatsoever. Again, that doesn't come from nowhere. And it just reconfirmed and strengthened my commitment.

One final tidbit--Gert Clark may come out here for a fundraising dinner ($100/head was thrown out). We may not be first in the nation and all that, but I think we did luck out by living in the same city as her grandson. ;-)